The 10 best golf moments of 2013: No. 7, Henrik Stenson’s incredible season

Over the next 10 days, until we get to the New Year, we will be rolling out the top-10 best golf moments of 2013. After much deliberation and debate, we picked what we thought were the 10 moments you will remember about this season a decade from now. We continue with No. 8 and Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship. (No. 10 is right here, No. 9 is here, No. 8 is here)

Before the 2013 PGA Tour season kicked off, there were plenty of candidates that some thought would have a huge year. Dustin Johnson’s name was thrown around. So was Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Rickie Fowler and Tiger Woods, but not a lot of people thought Henrik Stenson would be the guy to emerge as one of the best, and most clutch, players in the game.

Following his T-21 at Merion, his fourth top-30 in the last five U.S. Opens, it was game on for Stenson, who went on an absolute tear the rest of the season, finishing second alone at the British, T-2 at Firestone, third at the PGA Championship and then came the wins.

Stenson won the Deutsche Bank Championship and after a T-33 at the BMW Championship came to the Tour Championship with hopes of not just another PGA Tour, but the $ 10 million bonus that comes with a FedEx Cup win.

Stenson opened at East Lake with a 64, followed it up with a second round 66 and cruised to a three-shot win to secure the hefty bonus and an incredible year on this side of the pond.

The best part about Stenson’s end of the year run was that it didn’t stop on the PGA Tour. The 37-year-old Swede absolutely destroyed the field at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, beating Poulter by six shots to win not just the FedEx Cup, but the Race to Dubai, becoming the first person ever to win both awards in the same season.

Maybe the most incredible thing about the way Stenson played at the end of his year isn’t what happened in 2013 (though that bonus money must be nice), but what is expected of him now for ’14.

A lot of people have Stenson on their short list of guys to breakout with a major win this coming season, and I’m one of them. When his game is on he’s as good as anyone in the world, and I expect that to continue into ’14 and beyond.

(Also, you know you’ve done well when your caddie is able to buy himself a Ferrari.)

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo Sports